Drop side container car



March 1, 1932. Q WQQ-DRUFF 1,847,202

'DRQP SiDE 'CON'TAINER CAR Filed April 12, 1929' r 9 sheets-sheet 1Mgrclfl, 1932;, G. c. WOODRUFF 1,347,202

DROP SI'DE CONTAINER CAR Filed April 12, 1929 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 ail/ wMarch 1, 1932. G. c. wooDRuFF 1,347,202

DROP SIDE CONTAINER CAR Fild April 12, 1929 9'SheetsShe ets March 1932-G. c WOODFUFF DROP SIDE CONTAINER CAR Filed April 12, 1929 9Sheets-Sheet 4 March 1932. e. c. WOODRUIFFT ,847, 02

DROP SiDE CONTAINER GAR Filed April 12, 1929 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 March 1,1932. c, woo F 1,847,202

DROP' SIDE CONTAINER CAR Filed April 12, 1929 9 Sheets-Sheet s March 1,1932. I I Q WOQDRUFF' 1,847,202

DROP SIDE CONTAINER CAR Filed April 12. 1929 Q Sheets-Sheet 7 k March 1,1932.

G. C. WOODRUFF DROP SIDE CONTAINER CAR 7 Filed April 12, 1929 9Sheets-Sheet 8 iM/KM Mani? Marbh 1, 1932; l WQODRUFF 1,847,202

DROP SIDE CONTAINER GAR Filed April 12. 1929 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 PatentedMar. 1, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRAHAM C. WOODRUFEOFBRONXVILLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE L. G. L. COB- PORATION, ACQRPORAT'ION OF DELAWARE DROP SIDE CONTAINER CAR Application filed April12,

The methods generally in use for handling merchandise freight have notbeen changed trucked to and stored in the car. Due to limitations inavailable extra space, particularly at the larger terminals, the freightmust often be loaded into the car currently as,ofi'ered, whichfrequently results in an ill-assorted and badly loaded car because it isnot possible to re-assort and/properly load freight by the old method tothe best advantage.

The freight thus loaded into a car is transported to destination whereit is taken out placed in the freight house and later on picked up againand taken to the doorway for elivery to the consignees truck. Often, thefreight is transferred en route, and intermediate unloading andrehandlingbeing necessary.

The cost of handling L C L merchandise freight averages 12c. to 150. perhundred pounds each at origin and at destination or a total of more than250. per 100 lbs. of expense, which the railroad assumes for thisnecessary service at origin and destination ends.

The container may be used in two ways; first, for transportation fromone shipper to one consignee, this in cases when one shipper alonehasenough tonnage to warrant using container; second, use of containers byconsolidators who substitute themselves for individual shipper orconsignee, and by gathering up large number of small shipments, producea container load very near the maximum, and act as distributors atdestination.

The advantages to the ,shipper are; saving in total transportationcosts, saving in cost of heavy wooden cases, as packing cases areHEISSUED 1929., Serial No. 854,686.

unnecessary when shipments aremade in containers; saving in tare; savingincident to practical elimination of theft, damage or other source ofloss; saving resulting in faster, better and more efficient service; andthe advantages to the railroad are development and extension of service,having reference particularly to, comparatively short haul trafiic,saving of freight house labor at both origin and destination, saving ofway bill expense getting greater revenue per car mile incident toheavier loading; saving in equipment; saving from elimination of claimsfor pilferage and loss; saving resulting from decrease in detention ofequipment at terminals; relief of freight house facilities.

The object of my invention is to make the container car operation asnearly perfect as possible by dividing the car transversely withpartitions thus forming container stalls or compartments and havingshelves beside these partitions extending transversely of the car-tosupport containers with or without legs, so as to make it possible torun alift truck ontothe car under the container, lift the container fromthe supporting shelves and remove it to a station platform, truck bodyor other support. One of the advantages of legs on a container is thatthe lift truck may be run under the container from any one of fourpositions and place the container more satisfactorily, making it a muchmore flexible operation, than if the lift truck could go in from one ortwo positions and to accommodate the legs of the container I provide thesupporting shelves with elongated slots or ways extending lengthwise ofthe shelf, so that the four legs of the container engaged with the slotwill act as safety devices to prevent side sway and decrease to aminimum any possibility of the container slipping off the car. A furtherobject is to provide doors for the ends of the compartment which when inraised position constitute the car side wall; and with these and otherobjects in view, my invention consists of the parts and combination ofparts hereinafter pointed out.

car loaded with containers and a lifting truck.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one end portion of the car.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 44 Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 with the drop side door open andfunctioning as a gang plank.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail view looking at the end of the supportingshelf, which is shown in elevation at the left and in section at theright, the car partition being in section. a

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail top plan of the. empty car.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail sectional view through the car partition,supporting shelf and container, showing the cooperation 3f the saidshelf and a lock for the container Figure 9 is a vertical sectionthrough car and container, showing the cooperation of the supportingshelf and a lock for the container door, this view being at right anglesto Figure 8, and showing the drop side door open.

Figure 10 is a detail top plan of the partition and a portion of thecar.

Figure 11 is an end elevation of the shelf support adapted for containerlegs, the shelf being secured to the car floor and partition.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of a portion of a car loaded withcontainers, and a lift truck on the car under a container in the act ofdepositing or removing a container from the car.

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12 showing the lift truck leavingthe car after having deposited the container on the supporting shelves,the drop door functioning a gang plank. r

Merely for the purposes of illustrating my invention I have shown a car14 of the gondola type divided into compartments 15 by means of thetransverse partitions 16, which are provided with container guides 17,WhlCll center the containers 18 in the compartments 15 as they are beingloaded and also hold the containers from shifting while en route. Thesecontainers are provided with a door or doors 19 of approved type andconstruction, provided with approved locking bolts 20, 21, which areconnected at their inner ends to a bar 22, keyed to a spindle 23 towhich is also rigidly secured the operating handle 24. The outer end ofthe bolt 20, when in locked position projects through the top of thedoor into the keeper 25 in the top of the door frame, while the outerend of bolt 21, in locked position, projects through the bottom stile ofthe door into a keeper formed in the threshold26 of the door frame,

5 and is provided with a recess 27 into which one end of the dog 28 isadapted to lock to hold the bolt 21 against operation as will behereinafter described. In this connection let it be understood that I donot in this application claim the container locking device, shownherein, as that forms the subject matter of another application filed byme, February 28, 1929, Serial No. 343,353.

On each side of the container compartment 15 I secure to the partitions16, a container supporting shelf 29 whichvis preferably hollow or boxlike and is further secured to the car structure as at 30 as it ispreferable that the weight imposed on the shelf be carried by theunderframe, although not necessarily. At the ends of each shelf 29 Ipivotally mount a container retaining lug or hook 31, when in theoperative position shown in Figures 4, 6, hold the container fromslipping endwise off the supporting shelf 29. This dog is provided withan arm 32 to which is loosely secured the operating link 33. A linklatch housing 34 is secured to the end of the support 29 and is providedwith a recess 35 to receive the link 33. Within the housing 34 is aninclined slide way 36 provided on which a latch 37 is slidably mountedand provided with an operating handle 38 which moves in the elongatedslot 39 in the housing. When the retaining lug 31 and link 33 are in hasbeen moved to lock the link 33 in that position and also lock the lug 31in its locked position, whereby the retaining lug 31 is held againstmovement. To release the lug 31 for the purpose of removing a,container, the latch 37 is moved to the left whereupon the link 33 isfree to swing or be moved outward and rotate the retaining lug 31 on.the pivot 40 to the position shown in Figure 5.

The drop sides or doors 41 are positioned at each end of the compartment15 and are secured to the car by means of the hinges 42 of any ,approvedtype. An extension 43 is hinged at 44 to the top edge of the doors 41which, when the doors are open, as shown in Figure 9 functions as arunway for a truck to travel onto the door 41, and thence into thecompartment 15. While the doors 41 are in elevated or locked positionacross the end of the compartment 15 the runway 43 is folded backagainst the inner face of the door 41 as shown in Figure 4, the door 41being locked in its closed position by means of books 45 pivoted at 46to the bulkhead or partition 16, the hook end embracing the upper edgeofthe door, and in order toprevent these hooks 45 from jolting out ofoperative position I providea safety catch 47, pivoted at 48 to thebulkhead 16 with its-forward end abutting the rear end of the book 45above mitted across them when in the position shown in Figure 9.

Some containers have four legs and in order to make my car universal tocontainers with and without legs I construct the shelf or containersupport 49 (Figures 10 and 11) with a slot or passage through which thelegs 51 of the container slip or travel as the container is moved ontothe support; the braces 52 assisting in supporting the load imposed onthe shelf 49. .I prefer to make these shelves 49 of such height, thatwhen the container 18 rests on them that the legs 51 be free fromcontact with the floor of the car. With the legs 51in position. in theslots 50 and the weight on the shelves 49 I find it makes a much betterload on the car, and the four legs engaging with the slots will act assafety devices, to prevent side sway of the container and decrease to aminimum any possibility of the container getting off the car.

While I have shown the door 19 of the containers against the bulkheadsand next to the drop side doors, I prefer that all doors face forward inthe direction the car is moving, thereby giving absolute protectionagainst pilfering while the containers are on the car.

As an additional safety against'pilfering I provide the locking dog 28heretofore referred to, which, when the container is resting on aplatform cannot be operated, but which could be operated when thecontainer is supported in the shelves 29 and 49, therefore I provide arod 52 keyed tothe dog28 and I secured to the other end of the rod alocking dog 53, which when the container is supported on the shelves,comes in contact with the upper face of the shelf, as shown in Figure 9,and so long as it is in that position the dog 28 cannot be operated. Asstated this looking feature forms the subject matter of anotherapplication filed by me. p

In using my invention mixed consignments can be handled from point oforigin to numerous destinations on a container basis,

rather than box car basis; that is to say, load in one container car sixor seven containers, with-consignments to separate points so that thecontainer car, when ready to run, would have each container for adifferent designation, loaded with 5,000 up to 10,000 lbs. This wouldmean that the car would stop at first destination the container removed,and if there was an empty or loaded container available, it would beloaded on the car. It will also be obvious that by my inventioncontainers could be left out at the desired stations in the middle ofthe night with no necessity for the station being open, as they would belocked so long as they rest on the station platform and the contentsfully as safe as would freight in the station warehouse 'itself. Thisshould mean in actual operationthe saving of a very considerable numberof box cars, both as to investment, maintenance, operation over theroad, yard switchin and what is more important, the saving of stationhouse track space, which is often at a great premium and impossible toincrease, except at a prohibitive expense at the larger terminals.

As a still further possible and practical use of this container methodwould be the practical elimination of the way freight service, whichmeans that a peddler car is unloaded manually by train crew at thesmaller stations. Through the proper complementary trucking arrangementsfreight could be left at larger stations and trucked to the smallerstations where it would not be good practice to even stop the train, andmany smaller stations which do not handle enough freight traffic to paythe cost of operating the station could be closed and at the same timegive shippers and receivers at such points improved service, as comparedwith what they are now getting.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a freight container car having drop sides andtransverse bulkheads intermediate its ends, hooks secured to thebulkheads and adapted to engage and support said sides in their elevatedpositions and means holding said hook in its operative position.

2. In combination, a freight container car having drop sides, andtransverse bulk heads intermediate its ends, hooks secured to the bulkheads and adapted to engage and support said sides in their elevatedposition, and a safety latch pivoted to the bulk head and adapted toengage and lock the hook in its operative positio 3 In combination, acontainer car having transverse bulk heads intermediate its endsdividing the car into compartments, container supports arranged adjacentthe bulk heads and adapted to support a container on the car with itsbottom above the floor of the car, and container guides secured to thebulk heads above the said supports.

4. In combination, a container car, transverse bulk heads secured on thecar intermediate its ends, a container support on two opposite sides ofeach compartment adapted to support a container with its bottom abovethe floor of the car, and means at the end of each support to hold thecontainer against transverse movement relative to the car.

5. In combination, a container car, transverse bulk heads secured on thecar intermediate its ends, a container support on two opposite sides ofeach compartment adapted to support a container with its bottom abovethe floor of the car, and means on the end of each support to hold thecontainer against transverse movement relative to the car, means to locksaid means in its operative position.

6. In combination, a container car, transverse bulk heads secured tosaid car intermediate its ends dividing the car into compartmentsadapted to receive containers, a container support on opposite sides ofsaid compartment adapted to support a container on a car, means on eachof said supports to hold the container against shifting transversely ofthe car, and guides to guide the containers in position on each side ofthe bulk heads.

7. In combination, a container car, bulk heads arranged transversely ofthe car intermediate its ends and dividing the car into compartments,container supports positioned at opposite sides in each compartment, astop pivotally secured to each end of the container support, means tomove said stop into operative position, and latch to lock said meansagainst movement to hold the stop in it operative position.

8. In combination, a container car, container supports arranged in pairstransversely of said car, movable stops secured to each end of eachsupport and adapted to be moved in a position above the horizontal planeof the support to hold a container on said supports against shiftingtransversely the car, and means to lock said step in its operativeposition. o,

9. In combination, a container car, container supports arranged in pairson said car and extending transversely thereof, and a slot extendingfrom end to end in said supports adapted to receive the legs ofcontainers placed on said supports.

10. The combination with a container carrier of paralleling attachmentsaffording longitudinal movement restraint for the container, verticallyswingablemembers at the ends of such attachments for clamping abutmentagainst the sides of the container to prevent lateral. shifting, andmeans to retain said members in active position with capacity forangular inclination away from the container to release the latter forremoval.

11. The combination with a carrier for a multiplicityof containers of asequence of paralleling attachments, each of which affords elevated andlongitudinal movementprev-enting support for a container, andvertically-movable gravity-influenced members at the ends of theattachments eflective toprevent lateral shifting of the containers.

12. The combination with a carrier for a ,multiplicity of less-than thecarrie -ca-' pacity containers of a sequence of paralle ing barrierattachments effective to support "the individual containers elevated andrestrained as to longitudinal movement, and verticallyswingablegravity-influenced hook devices at the ends of each attachment affordingabutments to prevent lateral-shifting of said containers.

In testimon whereof I afiix my signature.

GfiAHAM C. WOODRUFF.

